The Mandeville Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to take a position Tuesday night on a long-discussed ordinance that would regulate new development and major renovations to historic structures in the older section of the city. Under the ordinance, which has been altered significantly as a result of public input, the City Council would establish a historic district for Old Mandeville to be overseen by a five-member preservation commission responsible for maintaining and enhancing the area's ambiance.

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The historic district has been under study for several years and has generated significant controversy in the Old Mandeville community. But after numerous public hearings on the issue, Commission Chairman Nixon Adams said the panel may finally take a position Tuesday night on whether to recommend passage of the ordinance to the City Council, which has the final say.

"That's my plan," Adams said. "I imagine we'll take a position."

Over the past several months, dozens of Mandeville citizens appeared at public hearings to vent about the controversial plan for the historic district, with most expressing fears that it would lead to over-regulation of private property. Many railed against what they felt could be more government intervention into their lives.

Supporters of the proposal said the initial draft of the ordinance was based on a model that used the broadest and most restrictive possible language. It was intended to be a working version that could be modified as it made its way through the city's adoption process.

The streamlined ordinance that will go before the commission Tuesday night has been whittled down from 24 to 12 pages. It maintains the preservation commission but eliminates some of the more restrictive language that had raised concerns. Several opponents spoke against the revamped plan when it was discussed at the commission's Jan. 15 meeting, but even the critics admitted that it was better than the original ordinance.

Under the general provisions of the plan, the City Council would establish the historic district bounded by Lake Pontchartrain to the south, U.S. 190 to the north, Galvez Street to the west and Jackson Street to the east. The preservation commission would have a say in new developments in the area and renovations to structures classified as historical in a 2008 survey by historian Sally Reeves. Only buildings 50 years old or older are eligible for the classification.

Supporters say the district will encourage better quality construction, provide eligibility for tax credits, tax abatement programs, and historical community grants, enhance property values and provide for more local control of development, among other things.

A five-member Historic Preservation Study Committee worked for two years to map out a plan for the district. City Councilman Ernest Burguieres, who represents Old Mandeville on the council and served on the study committee, has said there are 45 historic districts in Louisiana in cities such as Abbeville, Denham Springs, Nachitoches, Monroe, Houma, Hammond, Bogalusa, Covington and Slidell. New Orleans alone has three historic districts that represent over a dozen neighborhoods.